With the upcoming announcement of this year's winner, our Young Adult Prize shortlist authors talk why they write for teenagers, what they hope readers will take away from their books, and the best writing advice they've ever received.
Want to know more about each shortlisted title? Explore the shortlist here.
Why do you write for teenagers?
Sara Haghdoosti (Sunburnt Veils): There’s something magical about reading books as a teen - I still remember the books I read then like Looking for Alibrandi, or Tamora Pierce’s Alannah series. For me those books were such a lifeline, they helped me sort out things I was feeling and going through. The reason why I write what I do, and highlight diverse characters at the center of it all, is because my hope is it’ll provide an anchor to teens today the same way the books I read when I was a teen did for me.
Mirranda Burton (Underground): I think of teenagers as being at a significant turnstile in their lives (as I certainly was!), trying to make sense of the world and figuring out who they are. At this age we are grappling with the light, dark and shades of grey that make our world so complicated, and I find this material very immersive as a writer. (I’m in my late 40s, and still trying to make sense of the world.) I have also written Underground as an ode to readers much older than myself, because I am a great believer in intergenerational conversations.
Lauren Draper (The Museum of Broken Things): I love writing for teenagers because it feels like everything is starting and ending at the same time: you’re on the cusp of adulthood, but you’re also losing the security of the life you knew in high school. It’s exciting, it’s daunting, and you will occasionally fall down before you pick yourself up again.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Mike Lucas (What We All Saw): I’m hoping it will be a great introduction to horror for the younger readers. It’s a genre that often gets overlooked in the literary field, and there isn’t much out there for the YA market. Also, an understanding of growing up in the 1970s, before computers and mobile phones put tree climbing and exploring during the summer holidays out of fashion. For the older readers, it’s a step back to their younger friendships, to an age of innocence, where belief can sometimes still be more real than truth. And finally, I’m hoping that each of the four friends can show the reader that you don’t have to be the same to get along, or to be able to put your trust in each other.
Mirranda Burton: I hope my readers discover new dimensions to the past, value the reflections and are inspired to ask more questions of our elders – their stories matter. War history is not a two dimensional story of sins and suffering, it is also filled with ambiguity, contradictions, humour and humanity. History has forged the paths we walk now, for better and for worse and we must interrogate them if we are to shape a more enlightened future.
Lauren Draper: I hope the people who read this book find comfort in knowing that it’s okay to make mistakes; to feel like you’re not sure of the way forward, for all your plans to go wrong and to start over again. Growing up can be a really lonely, uncertain experience, even when you’re surrounded by people – but finding out who you want to be is so rewarding. I hope this book can be a small part of that process, for the people who need it most.
What was the best writing advice you ever received?
Malla Nunn (Sugar Town Queens): The best writing advice I ever received was, 'Finish the book'. An unfinished story is an idea, a fragment. It’s only when you get to 'The End', that you know what you have to work with. Write through the self-doubt and anxiety. Finish the book.
Sara Haghdoosti: That what makes you a writer is writing. In high school, I was often told I wasn’t a very good writer, and in all honesty, I still really struggle with things like spelling. I’m constantly learning more about punctuation and grammar, and often it can feel like ‘how on earth didn’t I know this already?’
We’re often taught that you can’t be a good writer unless you know all the rules of language, and I just don’t think that’s true. When you write a lot and read a lot - you get better, and you can always solve errors in editing. But you can’t write a story without getting the words on paper first.
Mirranda Burton: Throw certainty overboard. The ‘boat’ in which you set sail upon the literary sea may meet unexpected waters. Your vessel will no doubt be smashed by the waves and you’ll have to convert it to a raft, a paddle steamer and a submarine before you get through to the finish line. It’s a gritty but fantastic ride.
Kate Murray (We Who Hunt the Hollow): Finish what you start. Although it took me a long time to actually act on this advice! I have written my entire life, and I have written a lot of beginnings, but very few endings. Learning how to actually finish a book took me a really long time. I had to put my head down and put the work in, to learn what it takes to not only write a first draft, but to seek feedback on it, and edit it multiple (multiple) times.
